


Schrödinger's Observer

by spellingmynamewrong



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, F/M, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Canon Compliant - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Oblivious Harry Potter, POV Harry Potter, POV Outsider, Sirius Black Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:21:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26314093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spellingmynamewrong/pseuds/spellingmynamewrong
Summary: Harry found out last. Also, Harry knew first. Somehow, these two things happened at the same time.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 37
Kudos: 253





	Schrödinger's Observer

The atmosphere at the Burrow was appropriately festive. Red and green baubles hung from the arched doorways, and someone—probably Sirius—had set up a pair of tiny Christmas trees near the front door that were charmed to sing "God Rest Ye, Merry Hippogriffs" whenever someone entered the house. It was as though everyone in residence—the Weasleys, Fleur, Sirius, and Lupin, at the present moment—had decided that the best way to ignore the rising tide of the war was to ensure that every nook and cranny exuded cheer. 

Not that Harry was complaining. Everything was mixed up, from Malfoy’s scheming to Dumbledore’s memories to Hermione’s sulking to the way his stomach tossed and turned every time he looked at Ginny, and it was nice to turn his attention to something less complicated, like hanging golden ornaments onto the branches of the enormous Christmas tree with Ron and Hermione.

Though there was something still gnawing at the back of his mind. There had been for quite a while, to be honest, ever since Tonks had dropped by that morning, and after a few moments of silent contemplation, Harry decided to voice his thoughts.

“So, y’know when Tonks stopped by today?”

“What about when Tonks stopped by?” Hermione asked, hanging a snowflake onto a branch.

“Well, her hair was, well, brown,” Harry started, and then realized how oblivious that made him sound, since her hair had been mousy and lank for quite some time.

“Hate to break it to you, mate, but her hair’s been brown for months,” Ron said, and Hermione rolled her eyes.

“Obviously, that’s not what Harry means,” Hermione scoffed. “It would be great, Ron, if you had some observational skills.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” A fierce blush had spread across Ron’s cheeks, and Harry could see the beginnings of yet another argument, so he quickly cut in.

“Anyway, it was, well, weird. When it was brown back in September, I thought it was because Sirius was still in St. Mungo’s and she was worried because no one knew if he would wake up again or if he would be pardoned by the Ministry. But then when we saw her today, it was still brown, which doesn’t make any sense, because he’s fine now, y’know? So—I don’t know. I thought maybe you two would know,” Harry said, all in a rush.

“Oh, Harry,” Hermione said sympathetically. “It’s so kind of you to be concerned for Tonks, unlike _some_ people, who can’t bother to be concerned about anyone but _themselves.”_

Harry got the impression that he was missing something very important, but he continued anyway. “So do you know what’s going on?”

“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it?” Hermione said.

“Maybe to you,” Ron said, reaching into the box for an ornament that resembled a Golden Snitch. 

Hermione ignored Ron. “She’s, well—she’s in love with Professor Lupin, but he’s with Sirius, of course, so nothing’s going to happen, and she knows that, but she can’t exactly change how she feels. I feel so terrible for her. I hope Mrs. Weasley can find someone else for her soon.”

Harry’s head was spinning at the whirlwind of revelations. He chose to ignore the part with Tonks for now, since that made an uncomfortable amount of sense. “What do you mean Lupin’s with Sirius?”

“Well—” Hermione’s cheeks were turning pink. “You know, romantically. I always thought you knew, Harry. It’s not like they’re trying to hide it.”

“What?” Harry could feel that his mouth was open, and he hurried to close it. He turned to look at Ron. “Did you know too?”

“Er, of course not,” Ron said unconvincingly. 

“Am I the only one who doesn’t know?” Harry asked. “Why didn’t they tell me?”

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks. “Maybe—” Hermione started, and Ron shook his head. “Oh, it’s not important.”

“What’s not important?” Harry demanded. 

“Well, it’s not exactly common in the Muggle world,” Hermione said. “At least not as much as it is in the magical one—I did some reading on this for Muggle Studies, actually, back in third year during our Family and Relationships unit. Some of the more conservative families like the Blacks and Malfoys are still against it, but for the most part, it’s accepted here. But in the Muggle world, they only decriminalized homosexuality less than thirty years ago. And, well, you grew up with your aunt and uncle, didn’t you—”

“So they thought that I’d, what, be a bigot?” Involuntarily, his fists clenched. “Of course I wouldn’t be! I’m perfectly fine with it! I just wish—well, I just wish someone had told me, y’know? I feel like I’m always the last person to know anything.”

“Oh, Harry.” Hermione placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Maybe they were just waiting for the right time.”

“And it’s Lupin and Sirius,” Ron added. “They’d never accuse you of anything like that. Hermione’s right. It’s probably just because Sirius was still recovering back in the summer, and he didn’t want to break the news to you over Floo or anything. Hell, they’re probably going to tell you this week.”

Hermione nodded. “Just give them time, Harry.”

* * *

Harry tried his best to give them time. He didn’t say anything when he saw Sirius rest his head on Lupin’s shoulder briefly while they listened to the WWN’s annual broadcast of “The Wizard and the Hopping Pot.” He didn’t say anything when he caught Lupin looking at Sirius with an unbearably fond smile when Sirius managed to single-handedly produce a tray of miniature mince pies, their crusts flaky and their filling tender. He didn’t say anything when Sirius convinced Lupin to dance with him to a bawdy rendition of “The Hippogriff’s Left Stocking.”

But now that Harry was looking, he couldn’t believe that he hadn’t known before. Every time Sirius and Lupin even exchanged glances, he could practically feel the care radiating off of their gazes. And Hermione and Ron were right—they really weren’t even making an effort to hide it. Over the past three days, they’d done everything short of openly snogging in front of Harry, and it took every ounce of self-control in his body to not blurt out that he already knew they were together, and it really was all right with him, and he thought they made a great couple.

Finally, after yet another dinner where Sirius and Lupin, seated at opposite ends of the table, did nothing but give each other longing, soppy glances, Harry decided to confront them—subtly, of course.

“I was wondering if you could give me some advice,” he said to Sirius and Lupin that night, after the Weasleys had retired to their bedrooms, leaving only the three of them in the small, cozy parlour.

“Of course,” Lupin said, setting down his newspaper, which was turned to the crossword section. 

Sirius glanced down at it. “Three down—the word you’re looking for is djinn, not genie.”

“Oh, of course.” Lupin picked up his pencil, scribbling it down, and then smiled at Harry. “What do you need help with, Harry?”

“It’s about love,” Harry started, and immediately felt as though he had made an enormous mistake. Sirius and Lupin exchanged glances. “I mean, not love—not yet, at least. But. Er. I think I might, er, like Ginny?”

“I should have expected that,” Sirius laughed. “You’ve spent the past week looking at her like she’s the sun.”

Harry blushed. He thought that he’d been fairly subtle, actually, but Ginny had taken to wearing her hair in braids lately, and it looked very pretty on her. “Anyway, I was hoping that I could get some advice. Every time I try to talk to her, it’s like there’s this huge monster trying to claw its way out of my chest, and I end up feeling like a rotten idiot. I just—I like her so much, y’know? Even more than I liked Cho. And I thought you could give some good advice, seeing as you’ve been together for so long and all.”

Again, Sirius and Lupin exchanged glances, though now they just looked confused.

“Harry,” Lupin started slowly, “I’m not quite sure I understand what you mean.”

“I know you’re a couple,” Harry said, the words spilling out of his mouth. “Hermione and Ron told me, a few days ago. And I don’t care, I swear! I think it’s brilliant, and I don’t care what anyone else says.”

Sirius looked as though he had been struck by lightning. “I’m sorry, Harry,” he said gently. “I think you might have the wrong idea. While I do—well, I suppose you could say that I do ‘swing that way,’ Remus and I have never been together, at least not like that.”

Remus nodded, and Harry looked between them wildly. “But I’ve seen the way you look at each other!” he exclaimed. “All you do is stare at each other over Mrs. Weasley’s pudding, and you’ve been living together for ages, and you were dancing together—”

“I can’t exactly afford to live anywhere else,” Remus said wryly. “And the dancing’s always been a bit of a lark—Sirius started it, back in sixth year, on New Year’s. I think he thought it was some roundabout way of making fun of James.” He shrugged. 

“It wasn’t,” Sirius said softly. His dark eyes were unreadable. 

“What?” Lupin looked incredulous. Rapidly, Harry was getting the impression that this was a conversation he needed to exit, and quickly at that.

“It wasn’t just a lark,” Sirius said, more clearly this time. “I think I thought—” He shook his head. “Well, never mind. It’s getting late—we should all be off to bed, especially you, Harry.”

“Sirius.” Lupin’s tone was firm. “What did you think?”

Harry felt as though he was trapped between a circus lion and a ring of fire. “Well, I’m going to bed now,” he said loudly. “Good night. I hope your talk goes well.” Then, he leapt out of his armchair and ran up the creaking stairs, escaping to the safety of Ron’s bedroom. 

* * *

That night, Harry dreamt of Ginny.

She was standing in a field of sunflowers, wearing a bright yellow sundress and holding a cardboard box. When he walked closer to her and tried to ask her what was in it, all she said was, “The cat is you,” and when he wrenched open the box, it was empty but for a blurry picture of Sirius and Lupin. When he picked up the photograph, it crumbled into dust that slipped through his hands, and he woke to the sound of Ginny’s bright laughter.

It was all incredibly confusing, and none of it was improved when he stumbled into the bathroom to find Ginny braiding her hair. She smiled at him, and Harry wondered if it was possible to spontaneously combust from anxiety.

“Er, hi,” he said, scratching the back of his head. 

“You’re up early,” she said.

“I am?” Harry asked, confused. He felt as though he had slept for years.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m lying. It’s almost noon.”

“Oh.” He wished, in that moment, that Voldemort had just murdered him back in the Department of Mysteries. 

“You’re not the latest, though,” she said, finishing a plait. “I’d be surprised if either Fred or George is up yet—they were up all night, whispering about improving their Instant Darkness Powder or something.” 

“Right,” Harry said. Was there a spell to make him better at talking to Ginny? If there was, he wanted to learn it immediately. 

“Hand me one of those hair bands?” Ginny gestured to a bottle filled with an unidentifiable potion, which had three brightly colored hair bands wrapped around its thin neck. Harry duly complied, and she gave him another winning grin. “Bathroom’s all yours.”

She stepped out of the bathroom, saluting him as she left, and Harry felt a smile spread across his face. 

When he had brushed his teeth and done his best to comb his hair, he walked downstairs to find Sirius and Lupin at the kitchen table, bent over what looked like a book of Muggle comics. They were speaking in low tones, and Harry took a deep breath, readying himself for the possibility of being caught in the middle of yet another deeply uncomfortable conversation. 

“Morning,” he said, sliding into the chair next to Sirius. Lupin and Sirius startled, as if they hadn’t noticed Harry’s presence.

“Good morning, Harry,” Lupin said warmly. “Would you like some breakfast?”

“I made the eggs!” Sirius said cheerily. He took a sip from a cup of tea. “Scrambled, just the way you like them.”

“Thanks,” Harry replied, taking the plate of eggs from Sirius. He wondered if they were all going to simply forget about what had happened the night before, like a collective Memory Charm had been cast on them. The whistle of a kettle cut through his thoughts.

“I’ll get it,” Harry said, grateful for the interruption. Standing up, he made his way over to the stove, turning off the heat and taking the kettle off the fire. As he turned back to the table, he noticed suddenly that Lupin and Sirius were holding hands, and Sirius seemed to be rubbing his thumb over Lupin’s knuckles. Inadvertently, Harry stumbled and almost dropped the kettle. 

“Careful, there,” Sirius said, rushing to catch him. Harry set the kettle onto the table, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. 

“So, er, did the talk last night,” Harry started. He wasn’t sure if there was a way for him to voice his thoughts without tripping over his tongue once again. 

Thankfully, Lupin finished his sentence for him. “It went well,” he said simply. “Better than I could have ever hoped.”

Sirius and Lupin shared a smile, a small, almost secretive one. Watching them, Harry couldn’t help but smile too. 

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed this! if you like my writing, feel free to check out my current two wips, sirius and harry go to white castle, a sirius raises harry au, and a moony has spawned in the server, a modern au. 
> 
> kudos and comments fuel me! <3


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